I hope you have all had a great week, whether it’s been the last week of term or one sprawled on the sofa watching Cash in the Attic. The sun is shining, the birds are singing and it really feels as if Spring is on its way!!! Lots of chance for everyone on half term next week to get out and about. I hope those of you so inclined might venture out on a little run given the beautiful weather! It’s just so invigorating to embrace a little exercise on days like these and as the Latin phrase goes Anima Sana In Corpore Sano - a sound mind in a sound body! Whatever you do, ENJOY! You all deserve a fantastic half term!

Given the majority of you will be DEMOB happy right now this is a more slender tome than usual but read on for the regional highlights of the week, top tips for communication and some bangin’ tunes by our resident DJs for the week, Ed and Adam!

No alarm clock for a week! Yipee!!!

So, what’s been going on this week?

Catherine’s News

I have really enjoyed meeting lots of potential new tutors this week, both at interview and in school presentations. I have also been speaking to Universities about the possibility of sandwich year students coming to work for us in their year out. We are really wanting to start next year with 100 tutors so this possibility will really help us achieve this.

My usual reminder about the £50 finder’s fee if you recommend a friend and they work successfully for us until July! Lots of schools are looking to pick up last minute support for the build up to exams so if any if your friends have come back from travelling, for example, and need something to do until July, please send them through!

Anne’s News

Two highlights for me this week – one was visiting Alice in school while she was overseeing the support for a group of students accessing Mathswatch. They were all hard at it and everyone at school was delighted with the way Alice was performing!

Second was the laugh out loud moment (which I regularly get) from Carla’s comment on the app. I thought I knew everything there was to know about SOHCAHTOA but hearing that her students remember this the word itself by thinking it sounds like ‘Suck a toe’ pronounced in a heavy Italian accent made-a me-a giggle!!

Regional News

Norwich, Peterborough and Derby

After being up and running for 5 months now, it was wonderful to have a DANCOP review meeting and find out that we have impressed them so much with everything about our support. Everyone on the team had contributed by writing about their experience and providing Impact Reports and the DANCOP team were so impressed with the way we had presented it all. Massive thanks to all involved in this – it was a great effort all round! Wishing a lovely week off to all in NPD!

Manchester

As it’s just a brief update this week I really wanted to focus on my personal highlight. Most of our tutors spend their year with us providing in school support, however there is of course the Alternative Provision we provide as and when the need may arise during the year. This is the most flexible and difficult support to arrange as you have to take many factors into account, but goodness me it’s rewarding! After holding a session in the office on Thursday I left work with a spring in my step and a smile on my face. The parent of the student was so delighted to have some extra support on the run up to exams and loved the idea of her child working with our inspirational young people.

REMINDER: I’m on annual leave on Monday and Tuesday so won’t be as accessible as usual. I’ll have access to my emails but will be out exploring the merry streets of Dublin so may take longer to reply!

Have a great half term everyone.

Denbighshire and Cheshire

After preparing our first round of newsletters for schools this past couple of weeks, we finally pushed the button and our support efforts are underway. I’ve also had a nice trip back to deliver information to Y13s at The Sutton Academy, and actually bumped into a few of the students helped when I was a Yipiyap tutor there - a really nice surprise! I know my team is a little split this half term, so for those who are off next week, enjoy your well-deserved break!

Flintshire and Wrexham

It’s been a recruitment drive focus for me this week. First up was a presentation in St Richard Gwyn school in Flint which was a completely new centre for Yipiyap to recruit from. They were really positive about the presentation and we’ve had one applicant on the back of it already. Then it was back to Hawarden where I gave an assembly to the whole of the Sixth Form. It was nice to see Teres briefly who has split her time between tutoring and studying for some resits. I also popped over to Ysgol Treffynnon to catch up with Katie who is continuing to enjoy her placement. It was also really interesting to get a perspective on recruitment from somebody who went through the process last year. Finally I have the first interviews set up for next year’s tutors and look forward to meeting them in the next couple of weeks. Have a great half term break next week but spare a thought for the North Wales tutors who don’t get to have their break until the week of February 25th!

London, Yorkshire and The Humber

No way round it this week - it’s been the week of the flu bug! Well done to all of you who’ve managed to get in despite not feeling 100% and to those of you who have been laid low - don’t give yourself such a hard time! It happens to all of us time to time and there does seem to be something particularly potent going round!! Here’s to spring just around the corner!

I’ve been on the the move this week and enjoyed a bountiful trip to Hull - so great catching up with some of your old colleges as well as interviewing new candidates for September - they’ve got very big shoes to fill! Thanks in particular to Niall and Micah for coming in to town for a coffee on Wednesday. Great to catch up with you and actually meet Micah in person for the first time! Enjoy half term everyone - unbelievably well-deserved rest!!

Top Tips for Effective Communication

Now I know you are all incredibly articulate and effective communicators but I thought I would attach a copy of some really basic tips for top written and verbal communication skills for your to read at your leisure over the hols!

Ed and Adam’s Top 20 Tunes

… and to quote Ed it’s ‘quite the mix of tunes’! There is definitely something for everyone here! The perfect soundtrack to kick off your half term holidays!!! Thanks both for making this a brilliant collaboration and also for doing all the hard work and creating the playlist on Soptify to save me time. Really thoughtful and much appreciatedl!!